Mike Pence 2016: 8 Facts About Political Background of Potential GOP Presidential Hopeful

No one is certain if — or when — lifelong Hoosier Mike Pence will officially throw his hat in the ring of contenders vying to have their name atop the Republican party’s ticket for the 2016 presidential race. But one thing is for sure: Pence has a strong record of life in the public eye and as a public servant.

Here are 8 things you should know about the man behind the wheel of Indiana’s highest office.

1. Pence was elected to Congress in 2000. He earned a sixth term in November of 2010. As a congressman, he was elected unanimously by House Republicans to serve as House Republican Conference chairman.

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2. During the 109th Congress, Pence served as chairman of the House Republican Study Committee, the largest caucus in the House of Representatives. Under his leadership, membership grew to 110. The group has been the leading voice for advancing conservative ideals and economic issues in Congress since the mid-1980s.

3. Pence sat on the House Judiciary Committee as the vice chairman of the subcommittee on the Constitution and on the Foreign Affairs Committee as vice chairman on the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia.

4. In 2010, Pence was named one of "The 25 Hardest-Working Lawmakers" by The Hill.

5. In 2012, Pence was elected the 50th governor of the state of Indiana.

6. The Washington Post described Pence as “A New Face on Conservatism” who “delivered conservative opinions with the even tones and polite demeanor of his Midwest upbringing.”

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7. Pence loves his country, but not necessarily its leaders. “There’s a lot wrong with our national government, but there’s not a lot wrong with our nation,” Pence said in a December 2014 interview with The Washington Post. “The people of this country are every bit as strong, as caring, as patriotic, as generous, as hard-working as they’ve ever been. ... We’ve just got to have a government as good as our people.”

8. Since Pence took office in 2013, he has achieved Indiana’s largest state tax cut in history while also lowering the business personal property tax and corporate income tax. Since taking office, Pence has seen Indiana's unemployment rate drop to 5.8 percent from 7.9 percent, while employment has risen by 120,000 jobs.

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